AntonioFP45
New Member
Hi guys,
I received a request to post an Alclad2 application thread. I hadn't posted here since I see familiar names from other forums and assumed everyone's seen my metalizing threads. I'm happy to share and hope this will be helpful. I've been researching the appearances of stainless steel for several years. The info below is on other forums. It explains the easy step-by-step process.
These are inexpensive cars that I metalized for a relative.
A. Subjects: HO IHC dome car and an HO Bachmann full length dome car. They're based on prototype Santa Fe units. Crude by today's standards, with mods, these can look nice on a layout.
1. Paint Stripping. After disassembly, the shells were immersed in a 91% isoporpyl alcohol bath. After soaking 5 to 10 minutes, the factory silver paint lifted off as I scrubbed thoroughly with a toothbrush. After stripping, the shells were washed with a generic dishwashing liquid.
NOTE: Avoid soaps that contain lanolins, aloe, or moisturizers as they could weaken the adhesion of the paint that will be applied later.
2. Basecoat Color (foundation) - Scalecoat 2, New York Central Light Gray. Thinned 50%-60%. Airbrush Paasche VL. Needle and aircap sizes: #3 (medium). Air pressure at tip: 25psi. Spray Distance to shell: 3" inches. Total number of coats: Two, medium wet.
3. Critical stage[/b]: Gray finish must be SMOOTH and GLOSSY!* After drying; check the shell for dry or rough spots. If mistakes are discovered, this is the time to fix them. Wet sand dry or rough spots. Clean and apply another coat over shell if needed. When finished, flush out & clean airbrush with lacquer thinner.
*For those not using a high gloss gray, you can apply Alclad's High Gloss Clear Base #303. The foundation must have a smooth high gloss surface to obtain the realistic effect provided by Alclad2's natural metal finish
4. Interior: As the basecolors cured, I handpainted the molded plastic seating from the dome sections with Polyscale acrylic colors.
5. Alclad Application - Formula: #107. No thinning. Airbrush Needle & aircap sizes: #1 (fine). Air pressure at tip: 15psi. Spray distance to shell: 2" inches. Number of coats: 3. FIRST, I took a minute to test myself on the back section of a scrap FP45 shell to check that my airbrush was spraying well and that my distance/stroke speed were good. This step is a headache preventer as I discovered that I needed to increase my speed slightly.
5a. Test Check:
As you apply the Alclad2, relax! (My smooth jazz tunes were playing) Maintain the airbrush parallel to the surface. Spray horizontally in a LIGHT MIST COAT pattern, never "wet it". For the sides and roof, stroke your airbrush as if you were painting with a modeler's paint brush. For the ends, stroke vertically, also in mist coats. DON'T PILE IT ON.
TIP: (Wearing a respirator) As you spray, keep your head within 10" of your model, but over it, and either to the right or left of the airbrush to monitor your speed and distance. Some of us tend to stand behind the airbrush while spraying and not clearly see if we're getting too close or far. Wait a minimum of 3 minutes between coats if the temperature is over 75F. Wait longer at lower temps. Check your shell carefully for any areas missed. Stroke over on the next coat if needed. Flush and clean airbrush upon finishing
Note: Your 1st coat will appear almost invisible but don't worry, it's there. Your 2nd coat will be quite noticeable and you should be smiling by your 3rd mist coat. Compact disk cases are excellent for airbrush practice. With practice, you'll be able to properly cover passenger car shells with just 2 mist coats of the natural metal finish.
7. Sealing/Toning down sheen - Instead of Future Floor Finish, Acryl or Pollyscale clears, I applied Alclad's *waterbased clear; #ALC 600. Thinning: None. Airbrush needle & aircap sizes #3 (medium). Air pressure at tip 20 psi. Distance 3" inches. Number of coats: One:
In addition to sealing the metalizer and toning down the sheen, the clear provides the foundation for decals. After testing my airbrush on the FP45, I applied the Aqua Clear to the shells. I was impressed with how finely this atomizes and smoothly lays on top of the Alclad finish. IMHO, this performed superior to the clears I've used before, including Future. Upon finishing the airbrush should be cleaned asap. I used a mixture of distilled water and alcohol to flush out.
* If you prefer a solvent based clear instead of waterbase, you can use Alclad's ALC #310 High Gloss Clear.
The sheen toned down beautifully to a natural metal appearance of highly polished, reflective stainless steel. Only one coat was applied since this will be the foundation for the Santa Fe decals. Afterwards, 1 to 2 more coats of clear will seal the decals and tone down the sheen more. These are shots before re-assembly:
9. Window Tint: (only the full length dome's glazing was tinted)
I applied Alclad2 #408 "Armored Glass" to simulate the green tint on the windows. I tested a couple of transparent scrap pieces, then airbrushed the tint on the "inside" of the one-piece window sections (upper and lower).
10. Re-assembly: After lightly weathering the underframe and diaphrams, white styrene strips were positioned and glued in place to resemble window shades. Both cars were reassembled.
OUTDOOR PHOTOS:
Light weathered rust/grime on diaphram compared to a prototype unit.
Prototypes and Models:
Finished results:
These inexpensive cars were fun to to do and look quite nice running on my friend's freelanced BNSF OCS train.
Imho, modelers should practice on shells like these to fine tune their techniques. Then "go for it" on your Walthers units and other higher end cars!
I received a request to post an Alclad2 application thread. I hadn't posted here since I see familiar names from other forums and assumed everyone's seen my metalizing threads. I'm happy to share and hope this will be helpful. I've been researching the appearances of stainless steel for several years. The info below is on other forums. It explains the easy step-by-step process.
These are inexpensive cars that I metalized for a relative.
A. Subjects: HO IHC dome car and an HO Bachmann full length dome car. They're based on prototype Santa Fe units. Crude by today's standards, with mods, these can look nice on a layout.
1. Paint Stripping. After disassembly, the shells were immersed in a 91% isoporpyl alcohol bath. After soaking 5 to 10 minutes, the factory silver paint lifted off as I scrubbed thoroughly with a toothbrush. After stripping, the shells were washed with a generic dishwashing liquid.
NOTE: Avoid soaps that contain lanolins, aloe, or moisturizers as they could weaken the adhesion of the paint that will be applied later.
2. Basecoat Color (foundation) - Scalecoat 2, New York Central Light Gray. Thinned 50%-60%. Airbrush Paasche VL. Needle and aircap sizes: #3 (medium). Air pressure at tip: 25psi. Spray Distance to shell: 3" inches. Total number of coats: Two, medium wet.
3. Critical stage[/b]: Gray finish must be SMOOTH and GLOSSY!* After drying; check the shell for dry or rough spots. If mistakes are discovered, this is the time to fix them. Wet sand dry or rough spots. Clean and apply another coat over shell if needed. When finished, flush out & clean airbrush with lacquer thinner.
*For those not using a high gloss gray, you can apply Alclad's High Gloss Clear Base #303. The foundation must have a smooth high gloss surface to obtain the realistic effect provided by Alclad2's natural metal finish
4. Interior: As the basecolors cured, I handpainted the molded plastic seating from the dome sections with Polyscale acrylic colors.
5. Alclad Application - Formula: #107. No thinning. Airbrush Needle & aircap sizes: #1 (fine). Air pressure at tip: 15psi. Spray distance to shell: 2" inches. Number of coats: 3. FIRST, I took a minute to test myself on the back section of a scrap FP45 shell to check that my airbrush was spraying well and that my distance/stroke speed were good. This step is a headache preventer as I discovered that I needed to increase my speed slightly.
5a. Test Check:
As you apply the Alclad2, relax! (My smooth jazz tunes were playing) Maintain the airbrush parallel to the surface. Spray horizontally in a LIGHT MIST COAT pattern, never "wet it". For the sides and roof, stroke your airbrush as if you were painting with a modeler's paint brush. For the ends, stroke vertically, also in mist coats. DON'T PILE IT ON.
TIP: (Wearing a respirator) As you spray, keep your head within 10" of your model, but over it, and either to the right or left of the airbrush to monitor your speed and distance. Some of us tend to stand behind the airbrush while spraying and not clearly see if we're getting too close or far. Wait a minimum of 3 minutes between coats if the temperature is over 75F. Wait longer at lower temps. Check your shell carefully for any areas missed. Stroke over on the next coat if needed. Flush and clean airbrush upon finishing
Note: Your 1st coat will appear almost invisible but don't worry, it's there. Your 2nd coat will be quite noticeable and you should be smiling by your 3rd mist coat. Compact disk cases are excellent for airbrush practice. With practice, you'll be able to properly cover passenger car shells with just 2 mist coats of the natural metal finish.
7. Sealing/Toning down sheen - Instead of Future Floor Finish, Acryl or Pollyscale clears, I applied Alclad's *waterbased clear; #ALC 600. Thinning: None. Airbrush needle & aircap sizes #3 (medium). Air pressure at tip 20 psi. Distance 3" inches. Number of coats: One:
In addition to sealing the metalizer and toning down the sheen, the clear provides the foundation for decals. After testing my airbrush on the FP45, I applied the Aqua Clear to the shells. I was impressed with how finely this atomizes and smoothly lays on top of the Alclad finish. IMHO, this performed superior to the clears I've used before, including Future. Upon finishing the airbrush should be cleaned asap. I used a mixture of distilled water and alcohol to flush out.
* If you prefer a solvent based clear instead of waterbase, you can use Alclad's ALC #310 High Gloss Clear.
The sheen toned down beautifully to a natural metal appearance of highly polished, reflective stainless steel. Only one coat was applied since this will be the foundation for the Santa Fe decals. Afterwards, 1 to 2 more coats of clear will seal the decals and tone down the sheen more. These are shots before re-assembly:
9. Window Tint: (only the full length dome's glazing was tinted)
I applied Alclad2 #408 "Armored Glass" to simulate the green tint on the windows. I tested a couple of transparent scrap pieces, then airbrushed the tint on the "inside" of the one-piece window sections (upper and lower).
10. Re-assembly: After lightly weathering the underframe and diaphrams, white styrene strips were positioned and glued in place to resemble window shades. Both cars were reassembled.
OUTDOOR PHOTOS:
Light weathered rust/grime on diaphram compared to a prototype unit.
Prototypes and Models:
Finished results:
These inexpensive cars were fun to to do and look quite nice running on my friend's freelanced BNSF OCS train.
Imho, modelers should practice on shells like these to fine tune their techniques. Then "go for it" on your Walthers units and other higher end cars!
